1st group of refugees arrives in New Zealand from Nauru

ANKARA (AA) – The first group of refugees from Australia's offshore detention centers in Nauru arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday, local media said.

A group of six refugees landed in Auckland under a resettlement deal between New Zealand and Australia, SBS News reported.

“We confirm a flight left Nauru today destined for New Zealand with an initial six refugees on board," the broadcaster quoted Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil as saying.

Nauru is a tiny island country in Micronesia, northeast of Australia.

"The Australian and New Zealand governments continue to work together to resettle annually 150 refugees from Australia’s existing regional processing cohort,” said the minister.

New Zealand will resettle 450 refugees in the next three years.

Last year, Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) ended the controversial asylum seekers detention deal.

Under its immigration policy, Australia detains asylum seekers who arrive by boat, in processing centers on Manus and Nauru, where conditions have been described as appalling by rights advocates.

In 2016, PNG's Supreme Court ruled that the Manus center was unconstitutional and ordered the government to close it.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid